Calling all History Nerds: Ten things to know before you visit an historic cemetery
Read cemetery markers like an expert.
You’ll want to bookmark this post.
Best time to visit?
It depends on two things, weather and facing. Modern cemeteries found in the U.S. Midwest (and elsewhere) tend to face east. That means the best photography is on a sunny day, late morning. I also like April and May best for photography when the air is clear, the grass green and the sun angle good (around 65 degrees).
With daylight savings time, solar noon is 1:04 PM now (Mar. 29). So for east facing, 11:15 AM to about 12:45 PM is optimal. For west facing cemeteries, early afternoon about 1:15 to 2:45 PM.
How to tell east or west remotely? Go to FIND A GRAVE .COM and examine photos. If the marker shadow is on the left it is west facing. On the right, east facing.1 This advice is especially important if you are making a long drive to get there. Do your homework!
For a detailed primer on gravestone photography see this link:
Five Easy Steps for Better Grave Stone Photography
I love to use Find A Grave dot com for research and I use it a lot. But the pictures are often “less than optimal” shall we say. But you don’t have to be a professional photographer with expensive equipment to do better! Follow along for a short tutorial in taking documentation photos.
The photo below was taken at 1:22 on Nov. 11th, 2024. The shadow is on the left indicating west facing. Gravestone photography, like stock investing is all about timing.
What is the oldest gravestone?
In the U.S. Midwest burials before 1830 were generally done on family farms. Marked with wooden crosses or a field stone the majority have slipped away, location now unknown. If the oldest stone in a cemetery dates from around 1830, you are likely to be treated to many examples of early pioneer sandstone markers. Eighteen-thirty to about 1850 was the golden age for sandstone. On the U.S. east coast the grave markers are generally older and since Vermont marble was more obtainable, marble occurrs earlier along with the local sandstone (brown stone) and slate.
What stone is it?This is important for the serious historian because the stone itself tells a story of cultural movement, transportation routes and consumer choice. Let’s examine the previous photo.
Look closely and you can see the Berea sandstone imported from Ohio, White Vermont Marble, Red Granite from Missouri and the mottled tan local sandstone from the creek two miles down the road. So in one photo there are photos of rock that came from as far as one thousand miles or as near as two miles.
Red granite is found in the St. Francois Mountains of southeast Missouri. Berea Sandstone was brought from northern Ohio to the Cincinatti area where is was shaped and cut then transported down the Ohio River. The local tan sandstone is referred to as Palestine Sandstone. It can be found in the Mary’s river creek bottom two miles south.
Union Cemetery, Randolph County, Illinois. Illustrating the many different types of stone used in the nineteenth century. Photo by author. Epitaphs
Information is contained in epitaphs however many are “boiler plate” statements. Presbyterian and Congregational affiliated gravestones for example, may include Revelations 14:13 “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” But occasionally you find one that was quite personal to the family. For a detailed review of epitaphs and their meanings see:
Stone carver signature.
Look for the signature of the stone carver. This is especially important for sandstone markers made before 1860. If you should be so lucky, please get a good photo and post on FIND A GRAVE .COM. Researchers covet these rare signatures and if you find one, it’s a really good day. Best day ever was finding one in Sparta Illinois that was signed by a carver from downtown Cincinatti. Even initials are a rarity but here we have a full name with his address!
John Fulton died 1846, Caledonia Cemetery, Randolph County, Illinois. Photo by author. My essential equipment.
Knee pads or kneeling pad
Tripod for camera or phone
Notepad / clipboard with pencil
7,000 Lumen flashlight for reading inscriptionsWarning!
Old cemeteries are mine fields. Do not lean on stones, especially columnar type monuments. The original mortar and pins are often defective so that an eight year old could topple a 1,000 lb. stone. People get crushed to death in cemeteries from time to time. And keep track of that rambunctious 8 year old.
You will mis read the transcription.
The most common error is thinking a 4 is a one. After marble erodes a bit, fours turn into ones. The second most common error is confusing a flat top numeral 3 and 5. Look at the below example of this 1835 marker to see what I mean.
William Campbell died 1835. Hopewell Cemetery, Perry County, Illinois. Photo by author. Cleaning grave markers
Caution on grave marker cleaning. Tik Tok videos are not technical reference manuals. But sometimes you need to clean a stone to read the inscription.
First, do not use metal tools, abrasives, bleach, ammonia, acids or any cleaner you might find at Wal-Mart or Home Depot. Or Big W for my Australian readers.
Do use plenty of water and a soft bristle brush. The only approved cleaners from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), a division of the National Park Service are QUAT biocides and water. This is Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (not ammonia). The most commonly available product is called D2. There are others but are intended more for professional use.
Bleach contains sodium salts that absorb into the stone and then later expand. It may not happen immediately but over time you will see the “bleached” stone melt, crack and sugar.
Hear the birds?
Most of all, don’t forget to enjoy the experience. My time in cemeteries has involved close encounters with deer, bald eagles, and warblers (also copperheads and paper wasps). Cemeteries are outdoor venues and as such have the opportunity for seeing wildlife and rare birds. Expect the unexpected.
For an analysis of plant life at Union Cemetery see the link below:
The vegetation keeps the score
March is an unpleasant month at Union Cemetery. The climate is stingy, giving a glorious spring day about once a week, then punishing with wind, rain and abrupt cold the other six. Spring is coming, but don’t you dare put in your garden yet.
While this information is based on U.S. Midwest cemeteries, the general principles hold true elsewhere. Is this helpful to anyone in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or U.S. coastal areas? What do you think?
Copywrite 2026.
Photos owned by the author might be shareable if you ask permission first.
Northern Hemisphere only. In New Zealand, Australia or S. America the sun still rises in the east but the sun shines from the north instead of the south, thus reversing directions of shadow.
Terrific tips - I won't take a single one for "granite."
This is a brilliant, practical guide, David, the kind of post people will come back to again and again. I especially liked the emphasis on light and timing, it’s such a simple idea, but understanding how facing affects readability and photography is a real game-changer. Definitely one to bookmark.